I'm With You
by Hermione Baudelaire
Summary: Weird ships week! Violet and Mr. Poe's son are getting very close...


**Weird ships week. Read and review. Okay.**

**~~~~~~~~~**

**I'm standing on the bridge**

**I'm waiting in the dark**

**I thought that you'd be here by now**

**There's nothing but the rain**

**No footsteps on the ground**

**I'm listening but there's no sound**

**Isn't anyone trying to find me?**

**Won't somebody please take me home?**

**~~~~~~~~~**

You know how you always feel uncomfortable in somebody else's car? That was how I felt, in the back of Mr. Poe's car, staring out the window, watching rain make trails down the clear glass.

            The past five minutes had seemed hazy and dream-like. We had been at the beach. Then, suddenly, Mr. Poe had come and told Klaus and Sunny and I that our house had burned down and our parents were dead. Dead. 

            I started picking at the cuticle on my left ring finger. Mr. Poe stopped the car at a red light. 

            "We're almost at my house," said Mr. Poe cheerily. "You can stay with me and my family until we've made arrangements."

            I pulled harder at my cuticle. With a jolt, I realized that I'd ripped off part of the skin. A little ribbon of blood wove down my finger. I watched it emotionlessly. Good. Bleed. It hurt sharply, and made me pay attention to it. And not to what had happened to my family. 

            "Here we are!" Mr. Poe pulled up in front of a tall, brown house. "You three can go inside, I have to get some papers out of the trunk."

            Like zombies, we walked up into the house. What could take my mind off of this? What could distract me? I couldn't rip apart _all_ my cuticles...

            "Hey, look, Dad's home!" A boy about my age bounced out the front door. "Oh! It's a girl!"

            "It sure is," I said dully.

            He extended a hand. "My name is Edgar Poe, what's your's?"

            Boys. All they were, when you came down to it, was a distraction from life.

            Wait. A distraction from life. 

            That was on my Christmas list, for sure.

            I smiled. "I'm Violet Baudelaire."

**~~~~~~~~~**

**It's a d---- cold night**

**Trying to figure out this life**

**Won't you take me by the hand**

**Take me somewhere new**

**I don't know who you are but I**

**I'm with you**

**~~~~~~~~~**

            The first night we were in their house, the Poe's didn't make us eat dinner with them. That was thoughtful, I guess.

            I probably would have burst into tears if I saw them all together, arguing and eating and talking. But still, sitting up on a musty bed in an unused guest room, watching the rain pour outside the window with cold tears silently gliding down my cheeks...all I could think about was my parents...It was harder to distract myself...

            Sunny crawled up to me and I gave her an absentminded hug. I had to get this out of this. This was terrible. 

            Klaus walked in the room. I stood up as he sat down on the bed next to Sunny. They stared at me with big, hollow eyes.

            I squirmed uncomfortably. "You guys, I'm going to, uh, look around the house, okay?"

            They blinked at me and I hurried out through the door. The hallway was empty. We were up on the third floor, and it seemed that their family did most of their living on the first two floors. What about a basement?

            I wandered aimlessly around the hallway until I saw a doorway. Opening it up, I saw a narrow line of stairs going down. Perfect. I walked quickly down them, I could hear the Poe's making conversation, like my siblings and out parents had, through the walls. I rushed further down.

            Finally, I was in a damp smelling, dark, basement. I took a big gulp of air. It smelled slightly smoky...

            Somebody walked right into me from behind. "Oh!" I gave a surprised gasp.

            "Violet?"

            Boy's voice. Hmm...boy's voice, boy's voice—Edgar. Right.

            "Hi," I said softly. 

            "Do you walk around other people's basements a lot?" he said. His voice sounded close.

            "Only when I think they're empty," I said, trying to sound flirty. 

            We talked for a bit more, he sounded interested, and I was just trying to hurry him along. I needed distraction...

            Finally, when I thought he wouldn't ever get around to it, he reached out and held my hand. "Have you ever been kissed by a girl before?" I said quietly.

            "Uh...no?" His voice was closer.

            I puckered my lips and leaned closer, concentrating on every detail and pushing my parents far out of my mind.

**~~~~~~~~~**

**I'm looking for a place**

**I'm searching for a face**

**Is anybody here I know?**

**Cuz nothing's going right**

**And everything's a mess**

**And no one likes to be alone**

**Isn't any one trying to find me?**

**Won't somebody come take me home?**

**~~~~~~~~~**

Finally, we drew back. The air in the basement felt warmer. A flush scalded my cheeks as I rolled my eyes around the dark, pitch dark basement. "You're, uh, a good kisser..." he said finally. 

            I tossed my hair. "Thank you."

            "And I think you're very, uh, pretty and, uh, adaptable."

            I rubbed my forehead. "What do you mean by adaptable?"

            "Well, uh, after your parents dying so quickly..."

            I reached out to slap his face, but it was so dark I just kind of patted his arm. This just encouraged him, and suddenly his tongue was in my mouth.

            I didn't resist.

            Distraction was what I needed. I couldn't remember. It would be terrible.

            Finally, he detached himself. "I think...I think I'm in love with you!" he said quickly, touching my face. 

            I tried to smile sweetly, but it was more of a grimace. "Likewise," I lied glibly. 

            I shut my eyes and let him kiss me and hold me. Except the farther I went with him, the harder it was to forget my parents.

            Finally, we had to go upstairs. It was time for bed. I reluctantly let him walk me up the stairs, his arm was around me, and it felt unnatural. We paused before the door.

            " I guess I should let you go now, huh?" He smiled at me. I kissed his cheek quickly. 

            "Thanks. See you tomorrow."

            "Violet—" He grabbed my sleeve. I turned around, bracing myself for another kiss. He sighed. "I'll try to get my dad and mom to let you guys stay longer."

            I shook my head. "Oh, it's fine. We'll probably be close, anyway."

            He pulled me closer. "I love you."

            I smiled tentatively. "I love you, too, of course."

            Then I ran into my temporary bedroom and flung myself on the bed, nearly squishing the quiet, vacant-eyed Klaus and Sunny.

            I buried my face in the stale pillow and cried. 

**~~~~~~~~~**

**It's a d--- cold night**

**Trying to figure out this life**

**Won't you take me by the hand,**

**Take me somewhere new?**

**I don't know who you are, but I**

**I'm with you....**

**~~~~~~~~~**

            The next morning I woke up late, grayish sunlight was streaming through the windows and piercing my eyes. I rolled over to find my siblings sleeping next to me, their faces were troubled. 

            I protectively threw an arm over them, rolled onto my back, stared at the peeling paint on the ceiling, and tried to think. My distraction method obviously didn't work. I would never be able to forget my family.

            I didn't really want to, anyway.

            Was it alright to think about them? Okay, so it hurt, but it was easier than trying to distract myself by doing things I really didn't feel comfortable about. I slid out of bed and padded across the squishy carpet to the doorway, and into the hall. I had to tell Edgar, tell him I just wasn't ready...

            I hurried down the stairs. He was waiting for me in the basement, as I'd expected. I smiled half-heartedly at him. He sprang up and was about to hug me or something, but I guess my expression stopped him.

            "What is it, Violet?" he said, his face totally concerned.

            I took a deep breath. "I just don't..." I covered my face with my hands. "I'm not as adaptable as you thought I was." I tried desperately not to cry.

            "So you don't...you didn't mean anything last night?"

            "I..." I took a deep breath. Confession time. "No."

            He stared at me, unbelieving. Then, storming up the stairs he called me a name I won't print here. I'd been called that before, it didn't bother me half as much as he wanted it to.

            I made my way back up the stairs, to my siblings.

            They were all the diversion I needed.

**~~~~~~~~~**

**Why is everything so confusing?  
Maybe I'm just out of my mind**

**Yeah, yeah...**

**It's a d---- cold night**

**Trying to figure out this life**

**Won't you take me by the hand,**

**Take me somewhere new?**

**I don't know who you are, but I**

**I'm with you**

**Oh, I'm with you...**

**I'm with you**

**~~~~~~~~~**


End file.
